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i saw ac1 and ac2 for sale, but ac2 was cheaper, but i guess it's a dead box and i need the ac1 game with 30 free days to test out ac2?

if so i would propably get ac1 just for ac2, doubt i would play ac1 since it's even more outdated.

Is the game fun? i tend to like to run solo alot, but also group on occasion..

i really like interesting loot in games and prefer gameplay over graphics...... still wonder could it be for me?

First, yes you need to buy AC1 to get into the AC2 Relaunch Beta, so any AC2 box is just a dead end really. The game for me is extremely fun, because it's challenging and doesn't hold your hand. You can solo quite a bit, but there are some things that require grouping. Both AC games are sorta known for the random loot system. Any mob has a chance at dropping some really good stuff.

AC2 is having some server issues that they are trying to resolve, like crashes every 8 hours where the server is down for 15 min, but they are working on it.

Just remember, even though AC2 still looks pretty good, it's also a 10 year old game now, so it's not going to be cutting edge graphics.

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i saw ac1 and ac2 for sale, but ac2 was cheaper, but i guess it's a dead box and i need the ac1 game with 30 free days to test out ac2?

if so i would propably get ac1 just for ac2, doubt i would play ac1 since it's even more outdated.

Is the game fun? i tend to like to run solo alot, but also group on occasion..

i really like interesting loot in games and prefer gameplay over graphics...... still wonder could it be for me?

AC1 is old, but it's a 100% completely different game than AC2. You can't compare the two games. For buying AC1 (9.99), you get both AC1 and AC2 and a free month of gametime. So you can try both games.

AC1, I have little experience with. It has one of the best loot systems in any game I heard, even better than Diablo 2. The problem is that AC1 is filled with bots and scripts and for a good reason, the grind is ridiculous. Is that a bad thing? Generally no IF there were no bots, the grind wouldn't matter because you would be on an even playing field.

AC2, is a totally different game. Updated graphics, it was ahead of its time in 2002. Even the best computers could barely run it. I'm not being biased here by saying this, AC2 is truly what it means to be an MMO. I know that is an abstract statement. Let me explain... These days, you get all these MMO's with linear quest lines, linear loot, linear progression, linear zones... You don't really feel like you are in a world, just a theme-park going one place to the next. In AC2, there is a very large world to explore, hidden quests, desolate landscapes (Because the world ended after AC1), tons of quests that you need to find (NPC's don't have "!" over there head), tons of solo content where you can just go out and explore, and also group content which you can party with 9 players and kill group monsters.

-Dungeons (Most are soloable and not instanced. You can see other players as you go into them)

-Crafting (In-depth... Semi-steep learning curve... I managed to learn it in a day)

-Quests

-Music (You can find many, many, many instruments on monsters and play songs with /music1-10)

-Tons of loot to find with random stats

[Group Play]

-Exploring (Groups tend to kill high level group/orange monsters. This will yield the best XP in the game)

-Vaults (Dungeons that give a huge XP boost at the end. After the first 3, you will need a group. They all explain the backstory of the world of Dereth)

-Kingdom vs Kingdom (Comes into play later in the game. You swear allegiance to a Kingdom and anyone from other kingdoms can be killed. Not sure how PvP works, whether it's full loot or not.)

-Quests (Some quests require a group)

[Final Notes]

-Experience in Asheron's Call 2 is used as a currency to upgrade skill levels. There is also something called "Skill Credits", which you get 1 per level. (49 total at level 50)... So you can get as many skills as you want using skill credits and level those to the cap using experience.

-Past level 18 or so, grouping with 9 players and running around doing higher level incursion quests is probably the fastest XP gain. This requires knowledge of where the spawns are and how to travel there. The world is huge but there is avast portal system to get you around. The more knowledge you have, the more powerful your tools will be to advance.

-Crafted gear has the potential to be the best gear but at the same time, you can find gear that is just as good if your lucky.

-Every continent has random dungeons. Inside these dungeons are something called "Order caches" which are treasure chests. You need a key which is randomly dropped off any monster to unlock it. You can unlock it as many times as you want with your keys.

-With the right character build, you can solo group monsters later. Like I said, knowledge is power.

-There are stores similar to auction houses called consignment shops. They will be labeled as "Weapon Shop, Armor Shop" inside certain cities.

EDIT: One more thing, there are so many items that can drop off monsters. Some that can even help you solo or duo a group dungeon. Items like health potions that regen your health every few seconds or ooze from bloodstones that do the same thing and stack. It's just an overall fun item system that mixes well with the overall game.

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Originally posted by RingsideAc2 is a grinding mob game and character progression is very slow. Can be fun at times however

The progression rate can go in spurts though too. Going from 20-24ish can be a bit slow, but 24-30 is fast with burun incursions and whatnot. The 40s will fly with decent dillo groups or doing the quests on Linvak. Arramora and 50+ is where things would really slow down though.

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Originally posted by RingsideAc2 is a grinding mob game and character progression is very slow. Can be fun at times however

The progression rate can go in spurts though too. Going from 20-24ish can be a bit slow, but 24-30 is fast with burun incursions and whatnot. The 40s will fly with decent dillo groups or doing the quests on Linvak. Arramora and 50+ is where things would really slow down though.

That description makes the game so unappealling. :(

There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein

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i saw ac1 and ac2 for sale, but ac2 was cheaper, but i guess it's a dead box and i need the ac1 game with 30 free days to test out ac2?

if so i would propably get ac1 just for ac2, doubt i would play ac1 since it's even more outdated.

Is the game fun? i tend to like to run solo alot, but also group on occasion..

i really like interesting loot in games and prefer gameplay over graphics...... still wonder could it be for me?

AC1 is old, but it's a 100% completely different game than AC2. You can't compare the two games.

Just want to say that even if things are completely different, you can compare them. I can easily compare an apple to an orange (the actual real life foods). That does not mean they are the same thing of course, but I can in fact compare them.

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Originally posted by RingsideAc2 is a grinding mob game and character progression is very slow. Can be fun at times however

The progression rate can go in spurts though too. Going from 20-24ish can be a bit slow, but 24-30 is fast with burun incursions and whatnot. The 40s will fly with decent dillo groups or doing the quests on Linvak. Arramora and 50+ is where things would really slow down though.

That description makes the game so unappealling. :(

Then most mmos should sound unappealing, since most that I have played (which is quite a few) follow a similar formula. In nearly every mmo I have played since 1999 there has been these plateaus of power. Typically they'll come either in the beginning or end of a decade of levels (like 17-19 in the 10-20 decade of levels). In many levels that end in a 5 or 0 you'll get a new ability that increases your power which allows you to more easily blow through content that was difficult before (which increases the leveling rate for a time), but then also gives you access to more difficult content (which then slows down the leveling rate again).

It's a pretty tried and true formula that seemingly works pretty well in many games. If the game was too easy the entire time, you'd get bored from a lack of challenge. If the game was too hard all of the time then you'd become frustrated. So this tango of power is a good method to keep people playing. I can't even begin to remember how many times in a mmo I was like, "Oh man this level is taking forever", then I hit the next plateau of power and I was like, "ERMAGHERD NEW ABILITY I AM GOD!", and then the content catches up to my power and I am like, "Damnit, this level is taking forever", and it keeps repeating itself until level cap.

To read an explaination of your typical mmo, you'd think to yourself, "Who in their right mind would play this"? In the end though, the blend of gaming mechanics, persistant character development and social interactions is what makes mmos interesting and fun, well for me at least.

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Originally posted by RingsideAc2 is a grinding mob game and character progression is very slow. Can be fun at times however

The progression rate can go in spurts though too. Going from 20-24ish can be a bit slow, but 24-30 is fast with burun incursions and whatnot. The 40s will fly with decent dillo groups or doing the quests on Linvak. Arramora and 50+ is where things would really slow down though.

That description makes the game so unappealling. :(

It isn't a correct description so I wouldn't worry about it.

I've had no problem leveling quickly without grinding. Doing quests/vaults (essentially a quest) I've been leveling up without ever stopping to just sit and grind creatures. The leveling was worse back when the game first released and I think some people who never played through the expansions (or haven't begun to play again now) assume that is what it is. Before the game shut down they had sped up the leveling and that is what it came back as.

However, the game does allow and has designed for groups who like to grind mobs. That is a fast leveling method. It is fast enough that some people forget there is the option of questing up as well. People are good intentioned when they tell people to just do fets or get in a dillo group etc. because they are telling them how they personally level fast. They just forget that not everyone likes to sit in a creature grind group.

The same stuff happens on AC1. They've increased the benefit of questing significantly since the old days and you can level up to high levels without ever repeating a quest. Yet some old timers, and some people who like to macro, tell new people to go do the 500 tusker killtask or to leech xp on witherds, grind mobs in fiun/eaters etc. Those are ways to level if you like that, but you never have to do that to level fast. Yet new/returning players hear enough players mention creature grinds and assume that is what the game is and run away.

In short, I've had a fun time so far and haven't sat around grinding mobs yet and I'm making good leveling progress to time spent playing.